Tuesday, March 20, 2012

What does it do?

Then I will write about how it acts.Since social movement has particular aim or idea it wants to be realized. How does it approach to the goal? This is also important to know.

As I introduced, CNIC's primary method is dispatching information via website or newsletters, and holding discussion with citizen and politician.

Let's take a look at newsletters. First to read this letter you don't have to subscribe if you want read in English. You just need to go to the website and click the button. You also read back numbers on that page. This letter is published every two months.

Then what is its content? CNIC's main purpose is abolishment of nuclear power. The latest which was published one has featured workers at nuclear plant radioactive exposure not only in Fukushima but also other prefecture. It explains what is happening now with some numerical or graphical data. In addition, there are reports of conference it held, analysis of nuclear related news, especially now contamination map of Japan, and introduction of people who advocate abolishment of nuclear power in its newsletter.

In addition, on the website it posts many article related to nuclear power such as, introducing nuclear related news, promoting its idea and justifying with scientific data. Because CNIC is consists of Japanese scientists, journalist, citizens, there are more information about CNIC and conference and discussion it holds in Japan in Japanese version. From this, we can see that its primary object is to enlighten Japanese citizen to achieve nuclear abolishment in Japan. If it really wants to abolish nuclear from this world its English version would have as much information as Japanese version has. On the other hand, English version CNIC web has more information about nuclear weapon. One reason is Japanese constitution has an article which bans Japan to have any kind army and use of arm force.

"ARTICLE 9. Aspiring sincerely to an international peace based on justice and order, the Japanese people forever renounce war as a sovereign right of the nation and the threat or use of force as means of settling international disputes.(2) To accomplish the aim of the preceding paragraph, land, sea, and air forces, as well as other war potential, will never be maintained. The right of belligerency of the state will not be recognized." (The constitution of Japan 1947)

So legally Japan can't have nuclear weapons. Thus articles which related to nuclear weapon are mainly in the English version website.

The conferences, open discussions, open study meetings come next. I write about open study meetings. Study meetings are taken place in Japan in Japanese. At each open study meeting, a couple of speakers make speech about nuclear problems. Non-members can join this study. And you can watch its broadcast on USTREM too. Through this study meeting, it tries to give information and new perspective of specialists. As a result, citizen will be educated enough to be critical Japanese government's nuclear policy. Basically this open study meetings are like lecture style with slides or handouts. But it doesn't mean it's one way conveyance of information. The citizens are critical to CNIC too. Speakers and listeners face each other with sitting parallel during open study.

The other methods are collecting signatures and pleading for abandonment of nuclear power or solving nuclear related problems, having negotiation with Japanses government directly. Since Japanese government has democratic political system, collecting signatures and pleading with politician; usually top of ministry, acknowledge them that this number of people hope to abandonment of nuclear power.

Some members of CNIC publish books about nuclear too. CNIC member can buy them with discounted price.

The last method of protest is marching. This is not so often done by only CNIC itself compared to other method of protest. But still this is powerful way of protest. Latest marching was "さよなら原発(Goodbye to Nuclear Power Plants)" on 11th March 2012. CNIC is not the leader of this protest; it approved this protest and posted on its website to gather people for this.

Seen from this picture, CNIC members' way of protest is mainly marching and shouting with using sign and banner. There were about 14,000 protesters. Protesters walked about 3.4km includes in front of the building of Ministry of Economy, Trade, Industry, and the building of Tokyo Electric Power Company which has Fukushima nuclear plants. By passing the building of Tokyo Electric Power Company, they tried to reach their claim directly to the people who are working for nuclear power. They also passed by the building of Ministry of Economy, Trade, Industry, which means they were also claiming that this is not only technological nuclear problem but also commercial and economical problem.

After that the human chain surrounded the Diet made by protesters with holding a candle emerged. I can say that this is one of the physical ways of protest. Surrounding itself is obvious meaning that you are under the pressure to change your policy, in this case, nuclear policy. There is no way but changing your policy. Because by surrounding something, they are telling that there is no way to escape. And by using candle they express that they can live without electricity which nuclear plant make.

The web of internet made it easy to diffuse nuclear knowledge for them not only among Japan but also all over the world. The CINC is the most obvious example. You can get various information from its website anywhere in the world.

As conclusion, CNIC use many kinds of protest to nuclear power through informing citizen by discussion or website and more physical way like marching. Each protest contains some implications of their idea of antinuclear power. And protesters show them by using symbolical item such as candle to express that they can live without electricity which main point nuclear supporters insist. And by informing citizen CINC tries to create safe, nuclear-free world from Japan. And new information technology is helping it to pursue its ideal.